MLS 101: A primer on the 2011 tournament structure

March 28, 201112:00 AM PDT

Mark Nelson

The 2011 edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has a bit of a different look to it than past years. The only professional-level entries in the 98th edition of the Open Cup are eight sides from MLS and 11 USL Pro teams [the third tier of the U.S. Soccer pyramid]. Also different for this year, the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League [PDL, fourth-tier amateur league] was awarded an extra spot in the tournament, giving it a total of nine berths.

Due to late provisional sanctioning, the five U.S.-based teams from the North American Soccer League (NASL) — Carolina RailHawks, FC Tampa Bay Rowdies, Atlanta Silverbacks, NSC Minnesota Stars and Miami FC — are not included in the 2011 tournament.

U.S. Open Cup play-in round, MLS qualification

Of the 16 U.S.-based MLS teams, the top six finishers in last year’s standings automatically qualify for the Open Cup Round-of-16 that starts play in late June. A series of qualification play-in games are required to determine the final two entries to the Round-of-16 from MLS and that is where the Portland Timbers match against Chivas USA at the University of Portland’s Merlo Field on Tuesday, March 29, comes into the picture. While the game bears the U.S. Open Cup’s name, it is not the U.S. Open Cup proper.

With the Timbers hosting Chivas USA Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Union face D.C. United on April 6 in the other play-in match, while six addition MLS teams are already lined up and waiting in the qualification semifinals. The semifinal winners advance to the qualification finals, with the two match winners earning the final MLS spots into the true U.S. Open Cup tournament.

The extra match puts the Timbers at a slight potential disadvantage to advance all the way through to the U.S. Open Cup, but with many teams focusing on the MLS season, roster depth becomes a big advantage as most teams rest their biggest stars during the qualification rounds.

Portland Timbers/Chivas USA at San Jose Earthquakes; TBD
Colorado Rapids at Chicago Fire; Wednesday, March 30
Sporting Kansas City at Houston Dynamo; Wednesday, April 6
Philadelphia Union/D.C. United at New England Revolution; TBD

If Portland advances all the way to one of the qualification finals, it will face either the Colorado Rapids or the Chicago Fire for a berth in the U.S. Open Cup.

Like recent editions, the U.S. Open Cup -- qualification rounds included -- is a single-elimination tournament, with games tied after regulation extended by two, 15-minute overtime halves. If a winner is not determined in overtime, advancement will be determined by kicks from the penalty spot.

U.S. Open Cup tournament

Following is a breakdown of the teams participating in the 2011 Open Cup:

United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (Amateur – 9 teams): The top U.S.-based club from each of nine PDL divisions will qualify based on the results of four pre-selected 2011 regular-season games. Each of the 54 eligible teams will play two home and two away matches that will serve as qualifiers.

U.S. Adult Soccer Association (Amateur – 8 teams): The first-and second-place teams from each of the four U.S. Soccer regions will advance to the tournament. Approximately 50 teams entered qualifying at the local or state level.

National Premier Soccer League (Amateur – 4 teams): The 36-team national amateur league is affiliated with the USASA. In previous years its teams participated via USASA regional qualifying.

The 2011 U.S. Open Cup champion will earn a $100,000 cash prize, while the runner-up will collect $50,000. The top Division III and Amateur Division clubs will each receive a $10,000 prize.